What camera to use ?

B. Davis knives

B. Davis knives

Joined
Mar 22, 2008
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452
What camera do yall use for the close up shots on the for sale page?The camera I have takes bad close ups it blures every thing.I need a good camera for this so my knives will sell.I put the two Texas Toothpicks on for sale and they are good knives.Very clean and spot on for a Toothpick but they did'nt sell because of the bad pics.
Can someone help me out here please?



Thank You
Brian Davis
 
My personal choice for knife photography (at least for digital) is Sony cameras. I've had a number of different brands, but the best images always seem to come from the Sony brand cameras. Knives are a very difficult thing to photograph well....so many different surfaces, and so many different angles, makes lighting and shadows a challenge.

Whatever the brand of camera you use, I think a quality lens in the camera makes all the difference. In my experience those with plastic lens tend to produce grainy, or blurry images in close-up/Macro situations.

I own two different cameras.... A compact Canon for general shots of the shop and other general photos, but for knives I really like my Sony DSC-H5.
 
I have a Canon Powershot SD500 and it seems to work, get something with a Macro.
 
A decent glass lens is vital. Reasonable low-ish light capability is probably useful too because you really want to make a cheap Coop-style light box and use it. The light box is more important than the camera.

A tripod will help if your lens/camera isn't fast enough. Mine is cheap and old but I use it sometimes. Image stabilization will also help -- lots of digital cameras have that now days (the reason I don't use my tripod more is that my
lenses are stabilized).

Personally I use a Canon digital rebel SLR, but that's because photography has long been a hobby of mine. If you get an SLR (used maybe?), note that Coop himself uses fixed focus 50mm and 100mm lenses. They provide better results than zooms but cost less. I use zooms because that's what I have.
 
I get the best photos from my wife's Cannon Power Shot SX100 IS. It comes with it's own program for the PC and allows for editing pics.

Now I have a question along these lines.What host are you using and how are you posting the pics that appear as thunbnails and will open upon clicking on them?So far I have not been able to figure out how to do a pic like that. Any help or info would be appreciated!
 
B. Davis knives said:
What camera do yall use for the close up shots on the for sale page?The camera I have takes bad close ups it blures every thing.I need a good camera for this so my knives will sell.I put the two Texas Toothpicks on for sale and they are good knives.Very clean and spot on for a Toothpick but they did'nt sell because of the bad pics.
Can someone help me out here please?



Thank You
Brian Davis
Click to expand...


make sure you use the macro setting and a tripod. The macro setting usually is depicted as a flower on one of the camera setting buttons/knobs. tripod is self explanatory. :)
 
You don't mention what camera you're using. However the post above is true, make sure you're using the macro setting. The camera won't automatically focus on very close objects. You'll need to put it in macro mode. The reason I ask what camera you have is to make sure it has a macro mode although almost all cameras do these days. I would also second the tripod recommendation and would add that you should try to avoid the on-camera flash whenever possible for shots like this. Daylight is best/easiest but avoid direct sunlight. Indoors you can use any number of clip lamps, desk lamps etc etc as long as they're pumping out enough light.

Michael
 
Dixieblade57 said:
Now I have a question along these lines.What host are you using and how are you posting the pics that appear as thunbnails and will open upon clicking on them?So far I have not been able to figure out how to do a pic like that. Any help or info would be appreciated!
Click to expand...

there are two ways, the ones that open when your mouse hovers over the thumbnail, you need to be a paid member and the second, you need a photo hosting account, chech with your web provider to see if they offer you photospace.

Once you have the photos hosted, right click on the thumbnail -> Properties > triple click on the Address (URL) > right click on highlighted URL and copy.

In your post, click the insert image button, paste the URL that you just copied.

the URL will show up in your post highlighted with the IMG tags, now you need to select everything including the IMG tags AND the brackets.

Now hit the 'Insert Link' button and paste in the URL to your BIG image.
 
For the best renditioning of things like knives and good close photography, you really should consider a digital SLR with interchangeable lenses. I use a Pentax istDS with a real macro lens ( not the macro setting on the camera). Such lenses are expensive, but focus down to about an inch or two. The other feature you want is a manual focus setting. Not all knife photos will work on auto.

Finally, build a good light box. Nothing makes a good photo look bad like bad lighting does. Use 5200K lights if at all possible.

Stacy
 
Brian,

Are these guys great or what??? :):thumbup:

Hope you got my email earlier, lot of help here.

Good luck.

Todd



.
 
While I agree a digital SLR is the best way to go ( which is why I bought one ) , you don't need a dig SLR to get decent macro shots. To get pro-level shots you do.

If your camera has a macro setting use it , along with a tripod and have decent lighting. I used a Fuji S5000 for years , which is an inexpensive camera and it took decent macro shots , as does the smaller point & shoot Fuji camera I got my son for Christmas.
 
You don't need a digital SLR, tripod, macro, fixed lens (vs zoom) or even an expensive point and shoot.
For your stated purpose any mid level point and shoot will do.

The whole thing comes down to focus, avoiding distracting backgrounds and proper lighting (window light).

Write me privately if you need help with a specific shot or technique.

Dean
 
Go to my profile page and look at my album and do a search for all of my posts and you will find DOZENS of pictures i take of knives.

ALL of them are done with the camera being hand held and with NO light box. I bought the camera specifically for it's close up capability and jitter stabilization to allow for close up hand held picture taking and for correct color renditition in ultra close up mode.

I went to a major camera sales company and did a side by side comparison of over a dozen cameras and this camera was BY FAR the best for hand held close up photography with no light box necessary.

I use a Fuji Film FinePix S8000fd.

Again, take time to look at my photos - all hand held and no light box.
 
Get a digital SLR that allows full manual control, get a quality lens that allows proper macro work. Don't buy Quantaray, Sigma or other discount glass. You will get flare. Speaking of flare, get the proper hood for your lens.
If you want good pictures, ignore the folks who advocate point and shoot cameras, they mean well, but your image is only as good as your lens. You need to be able to control your exposure, your depth of field, and your point of critical focus. Yes use a tripod, yes, use a light box. Personally I recommend Nikon and Canon brand cameras AND lenses.
I have been shooting professionally with Nikon SLR and DSLRs and I made my living as a photographer for over 25 years, and still shoot professionally on the side. you can really tell the difference between photos shot with good glass and photos shot through discount brand crap or point and shoot.

-Page
 
what price range are you looking at ? an SLR setup is going to cost ya , and then you have to know how to use it. Not everyone wants to drop $700 on a camera.

It all comes down to having & knowing the basics first , otherwise even the best camera in the world won't help. I have seen people that can take some darn good shots with a $200 digi , all comes down to knowing your gear .
 
Just be sure your camera is set to "MACRO" and use good light. You will see a HUGE difference. No need to spend a lot on a camera if you are not into a lot of picture taking. Setting and light will give you a great improvement.
 
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